Spring bursts forth with vibrant colours and renewed energy, making it the perfect season to get crafty with the kids! As the days get longer and warmer, bring some of that outdoor magic inside with projects inspired by blooming flowers, adorable baby animals, and cheerful rainbows. Crafting isn’t just about making something pretty; it’s a fantastic way for children to develop fine motor skills, express creativity, and learn about the changing seasons. So, gather your supplies – paper, paint, glue, maybe some recycled bits and bobs – and let’s dive into a world of spring-themed art fun!
Blooming Brilliant Flower Crafts
Flowers are synonymous with spring, and their shapes and colours offer endless inspiration. Creating flower art is a wonderful way to explore textures, colours, and the beauty of nature waking up after winter.
Handprint Bouquets and Gardens
A classic for a reason! Handprint crafts create cherished keepsakes. To make a handprint flower, have your child paint their palm and fingers in bright colours (one colour for the palm, maybe different ones for fingers, or all one colour). Press their hand firmly onto paper or cardstock. The palm forms the centre of the flower, and the fingers become the petals. Once dry, they can draw stems and leaves, or you can cut out the handprint flowers and glue them onto a larger sheet to create a vibrant garden scene or a bouquet. This is particularly lovely for making personalized cards for Mother’s Day or Easter. You can even use footprints for larger blooms or different shapes!
Egg Carton Blossoms
Don’t toss those cardboard egg cartons! They are perfect for transforming into three-dimensional flowers. Cut out individual egg cups. Trim the edges to create petal shapes – wavy, pointy, rounded. Let the kids paint the cups inside and out with bright spring colours like pink, yellow, purple, and orange. Once dry, you can poke a hole in the bottom and thread through a green pipe cleaner for a stem. Add a yellow pom-pom or a button glued into the centre for the finishing touch. Arrange these in a small vase or glue them onto a cardboard base for a lovely spring display.
Tissue Paper Petals
Tissue paper is fantastic for creating delicate, layered flower effects. One simple method is the tissue paper bleed technique. Have children draw a simple flower outline on sturdy watercolour paper. Then, they can cut or tear small squares of coloured tissue paper. Using a paintbrush dipped in water, they place the tissue squares onto their drawing, overlapping them slightly. As the water saturates the tissue, the colour bleeds onto the paper below. Once covered, let it dry completely before carefully peeling off the tissue paper pieces. The result is a soft, watercolour-like flower image. Alternatively, scrunch small squares of tissue paper and glue them within a flower outline for a textured, mosaic effect. Another idea is to layer circles of tissue paper, pinching and twisting the centre, then fluffing the layers to create carnation-like blooms. Attach a pipe cleaner stem.
Adorable Baby Animal Creations
Spring means new life, and what’s cuter than baby animals? Chicks, bunnies, lambs – they all make for delightful craft subjects that children adore.
Paper Plate Pals
The humble paper plate is a versatile crafting base. For a fluffy chick, paint a paper plate yellow. Once dry, glue on googly eyes, an orange paper triangle for a beak, and some yellow feathers for wings and tail fluff. You can even add paper legs. For a bunny, keep the plate white or paint it grey/brown. Cut out long ear shapes from construction paper or craft foam and glue them to the top. Add googly eyes, draw on a nose and whiskers with markers, and maybe glue on a cotton ball for a fluffy tail. You can cut the plate in half to make a rocking chick or bunny too!
Safety First! Always supervise young children during craft activities, especially when using scissors or small items like buttons, beads, or googly eyes which can be choking hazards. Ensure all paints and glues used are non-toxic and child-safe. Keep workspaces clear and tidy.
Fluffy Pom-Pom Sheep
These are incredibly cute and tactile. You’ll need white yarn to make pom-poms (you can use a pom-pom maker, cardboard donuts, or even a fork). Once you have a fluffy white pom-pom for the sheep’s body, cut out a head shape and four legs from black cardstock or craft foam. Glue the head onto one side of the pom-pom and the legs underneath. Add small googly eyes to the head. You can make a whole flock grazing on a piece of green paper!
Toilet Roll Bunnies
Another great recycling craft! Paint empty toilet paper rolls in pastel spring colours or white. Once dry, cut out ear shapes from paper or cardstock that match or contrast with the body colour. Fold the bottom edge slightly and glue them inside the top rim of the roll. Use markers to draw a cute bunny face – eyes, nose, whiskers, and maybe a little mouth. Glue a small pom-pom or cotton ball onto the back for a tail. These stand up on their own and make sweet little decorations.
Chasing Rainbows: Colourful Creations
After spring showers come rainbows! Their bright, cheerful arcs are always a hit with kids and symbolise hope and happiness. Rainbow crafts are perfect for teaching colour recognition too.
Classic Paper Plate Rainbow
Simple, effective, and colourful. Cut a paper plate in half. Have children paint arcs of colour onto the curved part of the plate half, following the rainbow sequence (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet – or a simplified version). Once the paint is dry, glue cotton balls along the straight edge to represent clouds. You can punch a hole at the top and add string for hanging.
Pasta Rainbow Art
Combine crafting with a sensory experience! You’ll need various pasta shapes and food colouring or paint. Dye batches of pasta in different rainbow colours (you can do this by mixing pasta with a little rubbing alcohol or vinegar and food colouring in a zip-top bag, shaking well, then laying out on paper towels to dry thoroughly; alternatively, kids can just paint the pasta). Once dry, let the children glue the coloured pasta onto paper or cardstock, arranging it in arcs to form a rainbow. Different shapes add interesting textures.
Cotton Ball Cloud Rainbow Streamers
This creates a lovely hanging decoration. Cut out a cloud shape from white cardstock or use the top part of a paper plate. Have the children glue cotton balls all over it to make it fluffy. Then, cut long strips of crepe paper or ribbons in all the colours of the rainbow. Glue or tape one end of each coloured streamer to the back of the cotton ball cloud, along the bottom edge. Punch a hole at the top of the cloud, thread through some string or yarn, and hang it up to let the rainbow streamers dance in the breeze.
Spring crafting offers so many possibilities. Don’t be afraid to mix and match ideas! Maybe create handprint flowers with rainbow colours, or add little pom-pom chicks alongside egg carton blossoms. Encourage children to use their imagination, experiment with materials, and most importantly, have fun with the process. Happy spring crafting!
